A HEAVY HEART

Last night I learned that a dear childhood friend was diagnosed with cancer. I have never known a cancer diagnosis NOT be a hard thing to hear, however this is particularly difficult because GiGi is 37 years young. She is a wife and also "mommy" to a darling toddler.

Ge Gee and her family live in Texas and I don't get there very often so I don't see her much, but every time we are able to spend time together, though brief, it is like we talked only yesterday; You just never lose those childhood connections. I am crying out to the Lord for her and I covet your prayers for GiGi and her family.

There is NOTHING too hard for the Lord and we will believe HIM for healing.

G'night

NEW YEAR NEW YOU - PRAY IN FAITH II

Praying for a spiritual awakening in China, this year.

A little background:

Today L and I joined C and his classmates on a field trip to a local Chinese restaurant. We were there to celebrate the Chinese New Year. It was fun and the children were really pumped, they have looked forward to this for a while. The food was average but being in the company of curious and very verbal 4 and 5 olds was just priceless. Some were turned off by the “ugly orange” sauce on perfectly good "chicken nuggets" while others openly shared their disdain for “yun-nions in the rice,” that's onions in the rice. And then there was the group who just wanted to celebrate their ability to find new and unintended uses for chopsticks. It was so much fun!

As for the chopsticks, C and I wanted so badly to get it right …



Here, C and Dad posed after a successful attempt (1 of 100) at picking up a nice chunk of chicken. They felt like true Olympians.



Since China was on my palette and my mind I was moved to say a prayer for that country today. Somehow I knew that China was NOT a country that embraced Christianity. However, I did a little research this afternoon and was surprised by the specifics. Here are a few of the things I learned:

¹ China has a population of approximately 1.4 Billion. The current number of Christians (though said to be increasing rapidly) ranges from 70 million to 130 million, representing a mere 5-9% of the total population. The disparity in the numbers (70m versus 130m) is driven by fear. Many Christians in China are not open about their faith and practice it underground due to a persistent attitude of intolerance.

² The Chinese government is officially atheist. However, China is often characterized by pluralism – having many different religions. Buddhism is the largest organized religion.

³ The Chinese government limits the amount of churches in Beijing and other cities forcing many Christians to meet in house churches, which gives them the advantage of being away from the glare of the Communist Party. However, they still must register with police, avoid neighborly confrontation (which can be loosely defined) and keep their congregation size low (the maximum is 25) – only then are they tolerated - "grudgingly." Still others make the choice to be completely “underground” and risk arrest to practice their faith.

⁴ China caps the number of Bibles that can be printed each year

Learning all this was enough to get me pleading God’s promises on behalf of my sisters and brothers in Christ, in the Peoples Republic of China, who even through trial seek to serve the True and Living God.

Heavenly Father, I pray for the people of China. Though the numbers of those who believe in the way, the truth and the life is growing there, let this New Year bring greater acceptance of you, Lord. I pray a special prayer from my sisters and brothers in Christ who are not able to worship you openly and risk persecution for professing their faith. Place a hedge of protection around these sisters and brothers so that no weapons formed against them prosper. Father, I know you are the same yesterday, today and forever. You changed the hearts of Kings in Babylon so that the temple could be rebuilt in Jerusalem. You changed the heart of Saul, who murdered those who preached the WAY and you in your almighty power can change the hearts of men in China so that you are exalted among ALL nations and in ALL the earth. I ask this in the name of your darling son Jesus, Amen.

Please pray for Christians in China.

One additional note: This was a VERY exciting trip for C. His classroom is very diverse he has classmates from almost every corner of the globe (one from Turkey, one from Puerto Rico, one from China and one from Pakistan) He wondered aloud a few weeks ago, if his friends went to church to learn about Jesus, he informed me that he was “getting ready to ask ‘em.” He also loves to travel. I have never seen one kid get more excited about going to the airport or seeing a plane! I talked to him about one day traveling to tell others about Jesus and his eyes lit up. I think I see mission trips in our future. I just know God is going to use him in a mighty way!!!

A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

For the first time in at least 4 1/2 years, I attended a birthday celebration that did NOT include Chuck E. Cheese, Bouncy Houses or little people "hopped up" on sugar. This celebration was far more subdued, but no less meaningful and fun for me; Today our church turned 80 years old. Happy Birthday Elizabeth Baptist!

We viewed a From Then to Now, style short film looking at the church history from its humble beginnings with only three members up through today at 11,000 members strong. The majority of that growth occurring under the leadership of our current Pastor, Craig L. Oliver, Sr. It has been an amazing journey. As was today's theme - "A Journey of Faith."

The most moving parts of the short film were the personal testimonies of members who shared their experiences of total spiritual transformation since joining Elizabeth. I wrote about my own spiritual makeover in this post. The leadership at this great church has made spiritual authenticity their charge, literally.

Pastor Oliver is a visionary (to say the least) who believes deeply in the church's mission "To lovingly lead the lost into a relationship with Jesus Christ and develop mature believers." His journey alone - Youth Minister to Mega Church Leader and profound spiritual motivator/encourager - is evidence of the pure power of God's favor. So, in the spirit of continued advancement towards our church & personal goals, L and I will be participating with the entire church body in the following activities Pastor "O" outlined today:

¹ Read the Bible In A Year [starting today] "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4, KJV)

² Internal Spiritual Audit [A Sermon & Study Series]

³ [A Personal] Journey of Faith [A Sermon & Study Series]

I look forward to growing alongside this awesome family of faith in which God has placed us. HE has answered my fervent prayers.

FLY THIS PLANE

While in the doctor's office the other day I read this quote:

"When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, TRUST HIM fully. Only one of two things will happen, either HE will catch you when you fall, or HE will teach you how to fly."

Speaking of flying, later in the week, I ran across this:


This photo (I just love it!), captured a moment in which we were on an un-crowded flight and got the chance to "plop" C in the Co-pilot chair for a photo-opp. The Pilot began talking to him about all the instruments and how to fly the plane, as if he really expected him to do it! The expression on his face says that C was very overwhelmed.

I have been thinking lately, about how God calls us out of our comfort zone to do the work he has planned for us and it can feel a lot like being told we're going to have to FLY THE PLANE. But the Holy Spirit reminds me that HE has plans; plans that say HE will "show up and take care of you." ¹ I love this Word from the Lord spoken by Jeremiah to the exiles of Jerusalem. When the exiles were told that they would be led out of Babylon after seventy years of captivity the Lord (through Jeremiah) told them this:

"I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."(Jeremiah 29:11, NIV)

I too was led from captivity, freed from the bondage of sin; Not to be on the sidelines but to actively work in ministry and boldly witness of HIS goodness and grace. And by the way, I am learning that if I just follow HIM, the landings are much smoother. And after My Heavenly Pilot has guided me safely through, I'll be doing this:









¹ Jeremiah 29:11, The Message

FABULOUS FINDS FRIDAY

Trin.ket [tring-kit] - a small showy ornament, usually of little monetary value, but of great sentimental value. Known to cause tremendous excitement and enjoyment for us girly girls!

One of my favorite things to do is shop for little trinkets. I pick them up everywhere. I'd like to use Fridays, here on the blog, to share my weekly "find" with all of you. Also, at the end of this post (using Mr. Linky) enter your name followed by a link to your very own Fabulous Finds Friday post.

This week's Fabulous Find is a beautiful line of bookmarks (Family Christian Stores). The vibrant colors and scripture inscriptions add quite a flair to Bible Study time!

JOS 24:15, MAKE YOUR CHOICE

We have several things on our dance card this weekend and as it draws near, we have begun to discuss which of those things we might actually attend. A couple of our options involved travel and were easy to eliminate because they could cause C to miss a much anticipated field trip on Monday.

Even though our travel options could bring about a "near miss," at best, for an event that C has long looked forward to, he had a little trouble understanding why we couldn't just do everything. His confusion led to a rather long discussion and a fun exercise on making choices. Pretty quickly, he was up to speed and was even able to give Dad a simple definition of "choice," at dinner this evening - "you just pick one thing."

As I marveled at how quickly he "got it," I thought about the life filled with choices awaiting both C and B. For sure, it won't always be as easy as it was tonight. I would say it's never too early to start practicing and never to early to pray. I'm thankful we had the chance to start tonight. This is my prayer:

Dear Lord, thank you for the gifts you have given us in C and B. Help us to train them in your WORD, so when they are older - and must make choices independent of our input - they will not depart from it. Give us strength as we live out your teachings before them. Help us guide them not just "with word or tounge; but in deed and truth." Mold C and B in your image. Lord. When they find themselves at the crossroads of life (right versus wrong, good versus evil, moral versus immoral) I pray that the Holy Spirit bring back to their remembrance all that they have been taught, and they make the choice that represents YOU!

Afterwards, I gave myself a refresher course on CHOICES. I felt the need to review scripture and reaffirm the importance of HIS word when we reach that frequent point of "DECIDE." Here are few of my favorites:

Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good but the good of others (1 Corinthians 10:23-24, NIV)

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you, do not turn from it right or left, that you may be successful wherever you go. (Joshua 1:7, NIV)

Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil (Proverbs 4:26-27, NIV)

But you man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness (1 Timothy 6:11, NIV)

...Then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve .... But as for me and my house we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:15, NIV)

DREAMS FROM MY FATHER

Today marks the inauguration of our 44th president, Barack Obama. It was a time of reflection for me. Not on the man or the inaugural ceremonies, but on the Body of Christ. I will share, however, that only a few short months ago, while visiting the pumpkin patch with C, we ran across this: rows of cotton growing in the fields.


At that time, I reflected for a brief moment on slavery and racism, on the hurts and the ugly scars they have left on our country. Then, my thoughts turned towards thanksgiving that so many Americans have united and moved forward together. President Obama symbolizes that progress. BUT today, President Obama is not my foucs. With my thoughts towards Heaven, it is my earnest prayer that these historic events turn hearts, ALL hearts - that includes Obama, his supporters, his opponents and the whole-world-over - NOT towards man and his past accomplishments or future intentions, but towards God.

I was reminded in my meditation this morning that God is in all things, that government stands on HIS shoulders ¹ and that while Obama may put his best foot forward to do what he thinks is right...many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that will prevail ². I pray the enthusiasm that surrounds Obama today will surround our Lord and Savior who has already done and will continue to do immeasurably more than all that we could ask or imagine. ³

Obama faces huge challenges and though confidence in him is high (69%) it is yet to be determined whether or not he will rise to the occasion and successfully meet those challenges. On the other hand, God’s track record is spotless; there has never been anything too big for him. With the sheer power of HIS Word, HE spoke all things into existence. ⁴ HE owns the cattle on a thousand hills ⁵ and has never been in a recession, a mortgage crisis or a melt-down of any sort, in fact, HE is able to make all grace abound and provide all needs at all times for every good work ⁶. I find myself in the midst of all the excitement, wanting to defend and campaign and to use political speak, re-ignite the base of the body of Christ so that we experience this same exhilaration, hope and faith in our precious Lord and Savior. How I pray that no matter what the Obama administration carries forth God will gain glory and HIS Kingdom will reap a mighty harvest!

It is likely that the book by Barack Obama, - "Dreams from my Father - will fly off the shelves. I pray the same happens for the book that God Almighty provided -The Holy Bible - and today I, for one, have a renewed passion for it. A a passion to immerse myself in scripture, looking closely at the Dreams From My Heavenly Father and pleading his promises:

"If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.⁷"


I want to live the dream he had for me in Deuteronomy 11:18-21, NIV:

“Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be many in the land that the Lord swore to give your forefathers, as many as the days that the heavens are above the earth.”

I am in prayer today for our world, our nation, our leaders and the church. I pray that we will experience a renewed and unprecedented motivation to do for God what MILLIONS are doing today for our new President elect. I pray that we will elect God and him alone as the Lord of our lives and that upon HIS call we will travel from far and near to spread HIS message of hope; That we will put our faith, expectation and confidence wholeheartedly in HIM, that we will get excited and motivated, that we will excite and motivate others and finally write the Dreams From our Heavenly Father on our hearts and hold fast to his many, many promises!

WILL YOU JOIN ME?

Scripture references:
¹ Isaiah 9:6
² Proverbs 19:21
³ Ephesians 3:20
⁴ Genesis 1
⁵ Psalm 50:10
⁶ 2 Corinthians 9:8
⁷ 2 Chronicles 7:14-15

PRAY IN FAITH

Pray for baby Harper and children that need healing, everywhere.


click button to read Harper's story
"The prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up....." James 5:15

PRECIOUS LITTLE MEMORIES

Today was particularly stressful. It's cold (... even had a few snow flurries here.) and we stayed inside the entire day. Needless to say, we are ALL stir crazy! The boys were WILD and I lost my patience a few times, requring the use of my deep "Mommy is a Drill Sergeant" voice. They don't like that, but I had to regain control.

Tonight I am winding down ... saying my prayers, looking at precious baby photos and thinking happy thoughts in preparation for a possible repeat tomorrow.

STILL WORTH SHARING

Said another way, this is a "better late than never" post. I've missed posting more than a few good things over the past months. I would've loved to have shared them had ear infection, school play, busy day, car trouble, or just plain tired not happened, but who says all is lost, not me. I decided today to start posting those things anyway, even if they did happen three days or weeks or months ago, 'cuz I think they're still worth sharing... So a full three weeks after the fact, here is what I would've posted Christmas Day:

On Christmas Eve we baked cookies and left them out for Santa. C loved this.



B, who fell asleep very early was roused from his slumber by the smell of something baking and this happened....

Oh,my!

Our Christmas dinner was fabulous, right down to my mother-in-laws sweet potato pie recipe. My fondest memory is the special prayer C said at mealtime.



As far as pictures of the boys opening their gifts (they were sooooo excited), we don't have many, Dad used the video camera so I didn't use the camera much(oops!). By the time I realized it and tried to get a photoshoot going, all I got was this ....



Along with some great video and awesome memories !!!

F A S T E.R.

This is a literal description of my day. I’ll start with the “fast.” Yesterday I began a 21 day FAST. There are many things I am believing God for and I am seeking HIS heart on many others, so I decided to do the 21 day Daniel Fast (mostly fruits and vegetables, with a few other things). Yesterday was rough, I didn’t plan this out too well and going off a “word of mouth” list of what you can and can’t eat, left me feeling very limited in my meal choices. Actually, I probably consumed too few calories, causing much irritability and frustration. However, God gave me the strength to make it through the day (and night) without breaking and this morning he sent me an angel.

It all started when I shared a piece of fruit with a co-worker (M) who forgot his breakfast. M felt terrbile about taking my orange, and almost refused. I assured him it was okay because I had plenty other fruits, casually commenting that I was fasting. M responded “Oh C is fasting too.” So we summoned C to my desk and it turned out that he is doing the same fast with his church. C had a well organized list of things you can eat, an electronic recipe book of dishes you can easily prepare and a scripture and prayer to start each day. C is on day 16 and really encouraged me to rely on the Lord for strength and press on! I mean C was the vessel that God used to “lay it all out” for me. I know Satan did not want me to succeed (or even start for that matter) but literally, the Lord, my shepherd prepared a table before me in the presence of the enemy (Psalm 23) and today was a breeze! God is so good!

Now for the “E.R.” part. I received a call from the kids’ school this afternoon; to inform me that B (who has an ear infection) had a little discharge from his ear when he woke up from naptime. “A little discharge,” was an understatement. I don’t want to be too graphic here, so I'll just say that when I arrived to pick him up, his cot-sheet looked like a crime scene. I rushed him to urgent care, called L in tears and after and very emotional hour the diagnosis and prognosis were good. B has a middle-ear infection and with the tubes he received in October, the infection was able to drain right out – apparently it happens. We received a prescription for a round of antibiotics and were off to the races.

Despite all the horror scenarios that ran through my mind, God did not agree with one of them. Thankfully, there is no damage to his eardrum and we see the Ear Nose and Throat Specialist (E.N.T.) tomorrow for a follow up. Pray and agree with us that the findings of the E.N.T. will be consistent with the great news we ALL HEARD tonight.

RESTING COMFORTABLY

Granny visited from Texas this week and was kind enough to provide babysitting while Dad and I headed out for date night, both Friday and Saturday (whoo hoo!). The boys rested so well. Normally, we hire a sitter and both C and B are awake when we return, no matter how late. But, not this weekend. It's something about being in the comfortable and sure care of Granny that made them feel just fine going "sleepy -time." In fact they didn't even make it up to their bedrooms, they conked out right there on the sofa. Seeing them resting so peacefully when we returned last night, warmed my heart and reminded me of one of my favorite scriptures.

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28, KJV)

Nothing else gives me the comfort I have of putting everything in the Lord's hands and just resting in him. I just have that supernatural peace that passes all understanding. Oh, I know how they feel.

O HAVE MERCY

(Happy New Year!)

This morning C ran into the kitchen, irritated and upset, to ask me if “I could put B in trouble.” Translated, that meant he wanted me to place his little brother in time-out for a behavior that he decided was offensive. B has a little cold and has been having some bad days. Lately, his noise level and whiney-ness has frustrated C who, this morning, was really trying to "con-sun-straight" on something. I immediately thought of one of the first teachings of Christ – The Beatitudes. Specifically, “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5:7, NIV)

C and I talked and I asked him to show a little kindness to his brother. I asked him to think of all the times he makes noise and mommy doesn’t “get him in trouble,” but gives him lots and lots of chances. We talked about the times he plays the piano while I’m on the phone with Nana, or sings really loud while I watch television or how he sometimes cranks up his remote control car when daddy and I are talking. We decided that he would just play something else for a little while so he wouldn’t have his “con-sun-straight-chun” broken again. I’m so glad the Holy Spirit nudges and reminds me to make the most of these teachable moments. When I had time to settle down this afternoon, I read a few passages on mercy.

I love the clarity of Luke 6:37-38 in The Message:

"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, and criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don't condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you'll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting is the way. Generosity begets generosity."

I think mercy is our God-given theme this weekend. Yesterday, as I sat at a red light in some pretty nasty fog and rain I was rear-ended. An extremely apologetic older gentleman jumped out of the car and immediately began giving me his insurance and personal information. Only a few short months ago, I probably would have had some not so kind words for what I would've have seen only as the dude that rear-ended my nice new mini-van, but the Holy Spirit allowed me to see a real person who made a mistake, a grandfather who proudly wore the pictures of his grandson on his t-shirt and through conversation I learned, was rushing to the hospital to see a sick relative. Right there, The Holy Spirit also reminded me of the Lords mercies towards me and brought back to my rememberance (John 14:26) my memory scripture from a couple of weeks ago, which was Lamentations 3:22-23:

“Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”

Not by my own power, but through Christ that lives in me I had compassion for this man and learned of the many reasons he could have been distracted at that moment. Besides, only a few minutes prior, I came just inches shy of rear-ending the vehicle in front of me in that same slippery spot.

Again today, I was reminded of God’s command for us to show mercy. Most days it’s not in a car accident (thankfully) but rather the fast food drive-thru, the long line at the grocery store or the telephone with a less than “engaged” customer service representative, that I find myself called to show mercy. I hope the lessons of today and yesterday will serve as reminders for me to be as compassionate towards others as God has been towards me.